Nation
THE STATES

L-R: Wife of the President of Germany, Mrs Gerhild Gauck, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Oluranti Adebule, President, Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Joachim Gauck, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, his wife, Bolanle and Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, during the visit of the German President to Lagos, yesterday
Adamawa
Secretary, Adamawa State Emergency Management
Agency, Mr Haruna Furo, said that about 90 per cent of Internally Displaced Persons in the various camps in the state had returned home.
Furo, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Yola, said the affected persons were from seven local government areas of the state.
“Following recapturing of the areas and return of normalcy, about 90 per cent of the displaced persons in the camps have left.
“The displaced persons that remain in the camps are those whose villages are at the fringes of Sambisa, who felt it is still not safe to go back home,’’ Furo said.
Borno
No fewer than 1,500 women gave birth in 28 Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno State in 2015, the State Primary Health Care Management Board said in Maiduguri recently.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr Sule Mene, told newsmen that the deliveries were recorded between January 2015 and January 2016.
Mene said about 14,600 pregnant women received anti-natal health care, psycho-social services and child nutrition support.
He said that the agency had also received about 1,200 severe medical cases, which were referred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for proper care.
The official said the agency had established 20 Integrated Primary Health Care Centres for IDPs in all the camps to provide integrated primary health care and referral services.
“The Borno Government has procured health kits for each of the IDPs to help cater for their immediate needs”.
FCT
The Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises De
velopment Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Alhaji Bature Masari, has urged Nigerian youths to imbibe the culture of entrepreneurship in order to check the high level of unemployment.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Ibrahim Kaula, the Head Corporate Affairs of SMEDAN.
Masari spoke when officials of a youths organisation, “Dogara Youths Vanguard’’ paid him a courtesy visit.
He noted that the challenges of unemployment could best be tackled when the youths keyed into various enterprise development and skill acquisition training programmes being organised by SMEDAN.
“Your best option as young men and women is to imbibe the entrepreneurship skills and development of business ideas through a variety of programmes offered by SMEDAN”.
Kaduna
Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Cen
tral, has given President Muhammadu Buhari tips on how to handle his vacation.
He said Buhari needed rest and must avoid anything that could distract him.
A statement he issued, reads: “These are the 11 things our amiable president should do in order to fully enjoy his five days holidays.
“Shut down your Facebook account for the duration of the holidays. “Freeze your twitter accounts for the duration of the holidays.
“Shut down your phone and get a new foreign SIM card only accessible to your immediate family members and instruct them not to give that number to anyone outside of the family. Nigerian SIM card will always have a way of popping up local news through bulk sms.
“Avoid reading newspapers both foreign and local; and if you must read foreign avoid the Africa section”.
Kano
The former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido,
has called on Nigerian youths to promote unity and peaceful co-existence.
Lamido made the call when the executive members of Arewa Social Media Forum, a Non Governmental Organisation, paid him a courtesy visit in Kano.
He said that the call was necessary “because youths are the future leaders of the country and have significant role to play to ensure the sustenance of peace and unity”.
“The main issue before you is to ensure that Nigeria is a country of peace because the future is yours.
“In the next 20 years nobody will talk about Sule Lamido or Buhari even if we are alive, but the legacies we leave behind. So, the future is yours,” he said.
The former governor said that as a social media group, members of the forum had the capacity to enlighten people on the need for peace and unity in the country.
Kogi
Some residents of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, have
decried the new electricity tariff introduced in February, saying its imposition would only add to their burden.
The residents, some of whom are civil servants who are yet to receive their four months salaries made the statement on Saturday in Lokoja in separate interviews with our correspondent.
Stressing that they had been contending with estimated billings all these years in spite of irregular power supply, the respondents urged the government to suspend the new tariff for now.
Alhaji Ocholi Aku, who lives in Adankolo area in Lokoja, said that some consumers who did not have pre-paid metres were compelled to pay electricity bill amounting to N7, 000 each month.
“How will such consumers be able to cope with the new tariff? As I am speaking I cannot boast of electricity for four hours in a day yet my bill is constant”
Kwara
A group, Kwara State Coalition Group, (KSCG), has ap
pealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and other incorruptible judges in the country to prevail on judges handling various fraud cases to deliver justices with fear of God.
It expressed concern about the rate at which corrupt high profile people in the society were purchasing justices in their own favour.
The group, in a statement issued and signed by Saliu Ajia and Secretary, Batuta Sani said such attitude had given the corrupt elements the confidence that no matter the amount they stole, they would eventually get their way.
KSCG, particularly raised the alarm over a recent alleged move by one of the prominent leaders in the National Assembly, who is facing trial on corruption to lure the judges handling his matter to his own side.
Lagos
The Nigerian Navy has commenced Basic Marine Op
eration Course (BMOC) for 40 policemen on countering maritime crimes, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo, Flag Officer Commanding Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) has said.
Osinowo, who made the disclosure while addressing newsmen in Lagos, said that the training would be held at the Naval Training Command, Apapa.
He said that the training would enable the policemen counter maritime crimes like pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, among others.
“The course, which will last for 12 weeks, is targeted at developing the capacity for marine operations for personnel of the marine wing of the Nigerian Police.
Osun
Erstwhile President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Fri
day doubted the ability of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Federal Government to rescue the abducted Chibok girls alive.
Speaking at an event organised by the Staff Club of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State,
Obasanjo affirmed that anyone saying the girls would return was simply lying.
Obasanjo’s reaction follows severalpromises by the current administration that it would rescue the abducted Chobok girls alive.
Obasanjo blamed the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan for trivialising the distress call to rescue the girls on the day they were abducted.
Oyo
A food scientist with Institute of Agricultural Research
and Training (IAR&T) Ibadan, Dr Elizabeth Farinde, has urged the Federal Government to fund biotechnology to ensure food security.
Farinde made the call in an interview with newsmen in Ibadan.
The scientist said that biotechnology was an improved method to boost food production, stressing that it was reliable and fast.
“Although biotechnology is a bit expensive, it will make work easier for farmers as well as enhance production of more food in the country,” she said.
Taraba
The Catholic Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, Most Rev.
Charles Hamawa, has urged the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to redouble its effort in the campaign for national rebirth.
Speaking with newsmen in Jalingo, Hamawa said the country required aggressive ethical orientation to enable it tackle the menace of corruption, insurgency and indiscipline.
The cleric noted that the lack of conformity to ethical values among the people was responsible for most of the troubles confronting the country.
Nation
HYPREP Marks 15 Years Of UNEP Report, Highlights Major Cleanup Milestones
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3
Nation
REAN, SON synergise to curb fake renewable energy product
Nation
Self Help Africa programme expands water access for 320,000 Nigerians
-
Editorial3 days agoThat Oshiomhole’s Call On FG’s Road Projects
-
Education3 days ago
Environmental Education Remains Critical Tool To Address Environmental Challenges Says Experts
-
City Crime3 days agoTinubu Appoints Ex-Tide Staff Registrar Of Chartered Chemists
-
Education3 days ago
UNIPORT VC Receives Probe Report on Student Union Crisis
-
Sports3 days agoRivers-born Chess Player Clinches Third Position At World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship
-
Oil & Energy3 days ago
NCDMB, BOI Unveil $100m Nigerian Content Equity Fund …Set To Invest $5m In Oil Firms
-
Business3 days ago
PTDF Committed To Tinubu’s Development Plan – CEO
-
News3 days ago
RIFF 2026: RIFF Takes Film Tourism To Bonny Island
